Richard J. Daley Center
The Richard J. Daley Center is located downtown at 50 West Washington Street in Chicago. The building doesn’t really look like a courthouse. It just looks like a tall, rusty, square building. It’s right in the middle of Chicago's “Loop” and it’s bordered by the streets of Clark, Dearborn and Randolph. But the easiest way to spot the Daley Center is the huge, world famous Picasso sculpture that’s right out in front (it also looks rusty). It was a gift to the City of Chicago back in the 1960’s from the renowned artist and is one of the city’s most treasured pieces of art.
It’s also a well-known location in many movies, such as the place where the “Blues Brothers” drove and crashed their “Bluesmobile” right through the lobby, as well as one of the places where the police chased “The Fugitive”.
SEXNER’S PRO LEGAL TIP: There may be “Free Parking” on a Monopoly board, but there is no free parking for the Daley Center, so plan on taking the “L” or CTA to get there on time and at a reasonable cost. Or if you’re going to drive, you’ll find many public and private garages to park in. But be prepared for downtown parking rates, as the cost of parking your car can quickly rise to over $25 in just an hour.
Once inside the building, be prepared to wait in line to go through the metal detector before being allowed to proceed to your destination. Depending on the time of day and how many people are in line, it could take a while, so arrive early. Then depending on what room your court is in, you may end up taking one of the many elevators upstairs or an escalator to a downstairs court room. Downstairs court rooms begin with “LL” for lower level and “CL” for concourse level. Most serious traffic matters are usually on the 4th floor. If your court room is on the 4th floor, note that there is a separate bank of elevators to take you to those floors. They are located close to the metal detectors.
Map to Richard J. Daley Center
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